I’m glad to have the blog type of format back on my site, some may remember a few years back when I actually had a blog…

I would like to talk about somethig that has effected us a great deal this year, in the amount of competitions we would normally do, and that is the price of fuel, diesel specifically.

During the summer months we would normally do a minimum of 3 to 4 contests outside of Florida (Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama), during July and August, and this year it will be zero. At $0.60+ cents a mile to tow that trailer, who can afford that? I sure can’t.This has to be at least starting to hurt some contests, especially the ones that don’t have alot of teams real close to them.

But the fuel cost is effecting everything you buy right now. Just about everything moves on a truck, and the cost of diesel is driving, and will continue to drive freight prices through the roof.

But back to barbecue for a moment.. All the bbq competitors need to be concerned with some of the contests just going away, without teams, they can’t have an event, or at least not like they intended. BBQ contests for the most part (at least here in Florida), are good money generators for the charities they benefit. So what is the answer (besides our government, actually doing something about what would appear to be a super inflated price, driven by greed and speculation)?

For the competitors, it’s more prize money evenly spread accross the field, and giving more teams the opportunity to at least break even. But, this then puts alot of pressure on the organizers to increase those prize funds, to make their contests attractive to teams that travel. So, from the organizers stand point, they need more corporate sponsorship, and I’m not talking about Mom’s Garden shop down the street.

It’s about time Corporate America recognize that many charities benefit from what we do, and direct some of the marketing dollars they spend elsewhere into the competition bbq arena. Many contests would give them the same exposure they already get with those dollars, and they would also be able to benefit from the fact those dollars are used to generate income for charities.

Obviously, I would rather be at a competition right now, instead of complaining about why I can’t be at a competition. If your an organizer, and your reading this, think outside the box and take a stab at that big corporation as a sponsor. If your event is next year, you have about 4 to 5 months before those companies finalize those marketing dollars for 2009.

If your one of those large companies I’m talking about, then also think outside the box. Look at BBQ Contests as a viable way to spend those marketing dollars, and also creatively benefit your tax deductions, and then go that contest and eat some GOOD barbecue! And if your the Government reading this, then please, fix this rediculous problem!